July 2016
Correction
We're re-sending our July Catalyst because the last version you received was erroneously missing some exciting updates about our grantmaker partnerships with USC & the Dept. of Cultural Affairs. Please see below...
In This Issue
From the Desk of Paul Vandeventer
Grantmaker Partnerships
Honors & Recognition
Projects in the News
Events and Learning Opportunities
From the Field
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Director of Communications

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Program/Communications Assistant
From the Desk of Paul Vandeventer
Future Shock in Check

Future Shock: "(a) dizzying disorientation brought on by the premature arrival of the future."
-Alvin Toffler, "Future Shock" (1970)

I have a lot of respect for journalist Farhad Manjoo, who currently writes a tech column for the New York Times. But a few things struck me from his recent piece on Alvin Toffler, the writer of the six-million copy bestseller "Future Shock" (1970) who died recently at the age of 87. Manjoo captured Toffler well, but drew the case for a world overwhelmed by technological advancements much too starkly. Manjoo said:

"...in rereading [the] book, as I did last week, it seems clear that his diagnosis (of 'future shock') has largely panned out, with local and global crises arising daily from our collective inability to deal with ever-faster change."
Really? We are now to lay all societal and political ills, both foreign and domestic, at the feet of tech advancements?
To read the entire article, please click here.
Grantmaker Partnerships
NoHo is Latest Target for Arts Activation 

A new LA DOT People Street plaza in North Hollywood is the latest target for arts 'activation' from the LA Cultural Affairs Department's Arts Activation Fund. The 90's groove fitness dance group Old School Skinny, pictured above, was among the first performers featured in a new summer series called Experience NoHo Plaza 2016. Music, theater, dance, and film events are scheduled every Thursday through August 25. The Fund, administered by Community Partners, brings art and creativity to unexpected places around the city in connection with designated Great Streets. The event is free. For location information and a list of all events, please check here.  

Supporting USC's Good Neighbors Campaign
Community Partners is excited to be kicking off its fifth year supporting USC's Good Neighbors Campaign. Created in 1993, the employee giving program provides grants to collaborative efforts between USC faculty and staff and local nonprofit organizations that benefit residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Each year, USC has turned to Community Partners as a way to provide funding to smaller, unincorporated community programs that otherwise would not be eligible for funding through the campaign.This year, Community Partners will provide grants to a cohort of 25 groups, offering both administrative and organizational support designed to strengthen the capacity of the programs. Learn more and see all grantees here.
Honors & Recognition
Safe Place for Youth (SPY) Honored in Sacramento

Safe Place for Youth (SPY), a homeless services organization that has been a project of Community Partners for the past five years, was honored recently at the first-ever California Nonprofits Day. Local legislators selected exceptional nonprofits in their districts to be honored at the State Capitol in Sacramento. 
 
To read the entire article, please click here.

Congresswoman Chooses Steam:Coders 

STEAM:CODERS has been nominated for the Nonprofit of the Year Award for Congresswoman Chu's 27th District 7th Annual Congressional Leadership Awards. The ceremony will honor a total of 9 organizations for their services in their respective districts. The Congressional Leardership Awards will take place in Alhambra on July 23.

Projects in the News
The Dinner Party was singled out with several other groups that are changing the way we respond to death and grief in this New York Times piece that asks: "How do dying doctors live?"
Caron Post, project leader for  Maternal Mental Health Now, is featured in "When the Bough Breaks: A Documentary about Postpartum Depression." The film's director, Jamielyn Lippman was interviewed on KPCC about the project. 
The Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network aims to change not only the way the system views juvenile offenders, but also how the offenders see themselves. KPCC highlights how the program has helped to reroute paths to juvenile detention toward  careers in the arts.  
STEAM:CODERS' CEO Raymond Ealy spoke to East West Lifestyle about the need for computer science programs in schools and what this project is doing to shape young, digital leaders. STEAM:CODERS has served over 1,250 students since its inception in 2014. 
Sadly, BikeSGV's 626 Golden Streets event was postponed due to the San Gabriel fires. Stay tuned for a new date for walking, biking and exploring 18+ miles of open streets sometime in the near future. 
Investing in Place made its mark on the new ballot proposal that will improve active transportation efforts in Los Angeles County, according to this post in Prevent Obesity. The LA Times also came out with an editorial in support of the ballot measure.
Events and Learning Opportunities 
Student Debt Forgiveness Options for Nonprofit Employees (WEBINAR)
Wednesday July 27, 12:30pm (1 hour)
Free for CalNonprofits members; $10 for not-yet-members

If you're employed in the nonprofit sector and have a student loan, you should attend this webinar. CalNonprofits Program Director Diana Dunker will review public service loan forgiveness, the California State Loan Repayment program, and other forgiveness programs for public service. To register, email Fiorella Coaguila at fcoaguila@communitypartners.org.
 

(University and financial aid applications are due by August 31)
Deadline: Scholarship applications are due by September 7
The scholarship covers 75% of tuition -- worth $23,734 - and will be awarded to a deserving student enrolled in the Fall 2016 cohort of the 18-month AULA Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management degree program. The scholarship will be awarded based on professional merit and financial need. 
Facebook has enabled its fundraising tool to be available to not only nonprofit organizations, but to the site's 1 billion individual users as well. Individuals will be able to set up their own campaigns to share with their friends list, with proceeds going to the verified nonprofit of their choice. The new feature is currently available to 1% of users and will gradually expand. Verified nonprofits must have their own Facebook page to be eligible to receive funds through the site. 
From the Field

You've got a brilliant idea for a nonprofit. You've done your research, gathered your team, and even have a lead on some funding. Someone suggests fiscal sponsorship as a smart way to start your project. But what is that? And how do you find a good fiscal sponsor? Community Partners' Executive Vice President, Linda Fowells offers essential questions to ask in order to figure out which fiscal sponsor is right for you and your project.

Visit GrantSpace for Linda's full article in detail.
A study commissioned by the California Community Foundation found that charitable giving in Los Angeles County has fallen significantly from pre-recession levels, even as needs among the poor, elderly, young, and homeless surged. 
Gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations totaled an estimated $373.25 billion in 2015, setting a record for the second straight year, the latest edition of Giving USA reports.
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